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What are some pros and cons about capital punishment?

May 15, 2009 by Justine | Posted in Homework Help

I am doing a debate in class and our main topic is capital punishment. I need some really goods one in order to get a good grade! So, anyone want to give me some pros and cons on it? Please reply!

The Pros and Cons of Capital Punishment

Capital punishment or the death penalty is the act of killing or executing a person, who was found guilty of a serious crime, by the government.

Without a doubt, executions are considered the ultimate punishment for a crime, because there is no repeal from death. The logical alternative for capital punishment is life in prison without parole, yet a lot of nations still perform the death penalty. This is because the debate whether capital punishment is ethical and justifiable is still widely disputed.

Therefore, let’s review each reason for and against capital punishment to determine if it is ethical and logical.


Reasons For Capital Punishment

Prison: There are three purposes for prison. First, prison separates criminals for the safety of the general population. Second, prison is a form of punishment. Third and finally, the punishment of prison is expected to rehabilitate prisoners; so that when prisoners are released from prison, these ex-convicts are less likely to repeat their crimes and risk another prison sentence. The logic for capital punishment is that prisons are for rehabilitating convicts who will eventually leave prison, and therefore prison is not for people who would never be released from prisons alive.

Cost of Prison: Typically, the cost of imprisoning someone for life is much more expensive than executing that same person. However with the expensive costs of appeals in courts of law, it is arguable if capital punishment is truly cost effective when compared with the cost of life imprisonment.

Safety: Criminals who receive the death penalty are typically violent individuals. Therefore for the safety of the prison’s guards, other prisoners, and the general public (in case a death row inmate escapes prison), then logic dictates that safety is a reason for capital punishment.

Deters Crime: There is no scientific proof that nations with capital punishment have a lower rate of crime, therefore the risk of the death penalty does not seem to deter crime.

Extreme Punishment: The logic is that the more severe the crime, then the more severe the punishment is necessary. But what is the most severe punishment: lifetime in prison or execution? I am not sure that anyone alive is qualified to answer this question.

Appropriate Punishment: It is commonly believed that the punishment of a crime should equal the crime, if possible. This is also known as "an eye for eye" justice. Therefore using this logic, the appropriate punishment for murder is death.

Vengeance: Some crimes are so horrific that some people think that revenge or retribution is the only option. This reasoning is not based on logic; but rather, it is based on emotions. Therefore, this reason should not be deemed a valid justification.

Reasons Against Capital Punishment

Prison: It is often believe that prison is a viable alternative to executing a person. However as mentioned above, even imprisonment for life with no chance of parole still has issues.

Not Humane: Killing a person is not humane, even if the criminal is not humane. What is humane is subjective to a person’s upbringing, education, beliefs, and religion. Therefore different people interpret what is humane differently. For instance, some people consider putting a pet asleep is humane if the animal is in great pain, but doing the same thing for a person is often not considered humane. Other people would not kill an animal even for food. In some cultures, mercy killings are honorable.

Fairness: The life of the criminal can not compensate for the crime committed. Basically, two wrongs do not make a right.

Pain of Death: Executing a person can be quick and painless, or executing a person can be slow and painful. The method, and therefore the pain, of capital punishment is also subjective to society’s norms. Some cultures prefer suffering, others do not.

Violates Human Rights: Some groups of people deem death a violation of the person’s right to live. Other groups of people disagree that the death penalty is a cruel and unusual punishment. There is no clear definition of what human rights are, so there will always be disagreements with whether it violates human rights.

Wrongly Convicted: Some people executed were proven too late to be wrongly convicted of a crime that they did not commit.

Playing God: Some people believe that all deaths should be natural. Other people believe murder is a part of nature.

Salvation: Felons have less time and likelihood of finding spiritual salvation if they are executed. The obvious question for this reasoning is salvation a valid concern for the state?

Forgiveness: Criminals have less time and likelihood to seek forgiveness for their crimes if they are executed. Again, is forgiveness a valid concern for the government?

Amends: Executing someone decreases the time and likelihood for the criminal to repair any damage from the crime

Adam James 'Closet' VIDEO: Alleged Mike Leach Punishment Footage ...

by The Huffington Post News Editors

Texas Tech fired coach Mike Leach yesterday after a player complained that he was mistreated by the head coach.The player, Adam James, was allegedly forced to spend time in a dark electrical closet after telling Leach he had a concussion.

A video clip purportedly showing James in the closet surfaced on YouTube and has since aired on ESPN, where James' father works as a college football commentator. The short clip shows the space where James was allegedly confined. A voice in the video also seems to explain that he has "turned the lights on real quick" to give viewers a look at the room. Scroll down to watch the footage, as well as a report from KCBD in Lubbock that allegedly shows the shed and electrical closet in question.

I work for the phone company and there are over 220,000 employees where I work. As phone men we work in areas such as those depicted here ALL DAY LONG, every day, for years on end. We take lunch breaks in these type rooms, take our breaks there, set up equipment for customers in these type rooms, run tests on equipment installed, all without a moments hesitation. The hoopla about these rooms being some kind of "bad" place to be is imaginary, overblown, hype. Talk about hyperventilating, scandalous, nitwits. Additionally, there are some here who have posted that the coach isolated the player for "not violating the medical recommendation". May I say you are completely out of your mind. The medical recommendation WAS to put the player in a dark area AND to not play him. Where are you going to find a dark room on the football field? HUH???

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